For a fleeting moment it looked like the eagerly awaited, and long overdue, passing of the torch to the next generation of tennis stars was finally upon us.

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal had lost to the Australian teen sensation Nick Kyrgios, defending champion Andy Murray crashed out to 23-year-old Grigor Dimitrov, and both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic appeared on the verge of elimination in their respective quarterfinals.

And yet, when Sunday rolled around, it wasn’t a matchup between two fresh-faced up and comers, but two seasoned veterans of the big finale, with a combined 24 major titles and perhaps even more staggering 37 major final appearances between them. FULL POST

Almost five years to the day after reducing then world No. 1 Roger Federer to tears after capturing his first, and to-date only Australian Open, Rafael Nadal shed a few of his own when the Spaniard stood up to give a speech after losing the Australian Open final to Stanislas Wawrinka.

Surely this is one of the strangest conventions in all of sports?

Minutes after falling agonizingly short of achieving a goal they have dedicated their lives to, tennis players are expected to show sportsmanship, humility, composure, gratitude and perspective, often in a second or third language, in front of a crowd of thousands and a television audience of millions.

You would never expect the losing team's captain in the Champions League final to take the stand and address the crowd and you might place yourself in serious danger if you tried to force a microphone into the hand of a man who hasjust lost a heavyweight boxing bout.

Is tennis just more sophisticated; more traditional; more civilized?

Who knows, but what is clear is these tearful toasts are often being remembered long after the results have been wiped from the public’s memory.

Aside from having to congratulate the victor, thank the tournament organizers, the sponsors, umpires, ball boys and of course, the fans, tennis players are increasingly using this platform to express emotion and connect with their fans.

Back in the 1980s American John McEnroe broke protocol by walking off the court to a cacophony of boos during Ivan Lendl's victory speech at the French Open.

Four years later on the same court, Frenchman Henri Leconte was similarly booed when he tried to break down the technicalities of why he lost to Sweden's Mats Wilander in the final.

These days, tears are standard protocol, and never more so than in the aforementioned 2009 Australian Open final when Federer famously broke down after losing to Nadal, in a manner the likes of which the tennis world hadn't seen since Jana Novotna in the 1990s. Novotna famously cried on the Duchess of Kent's shoulder after losing a Wimbledon final to Steffi Graf.

Federer would soon be back on the winner’s podium, and over the following months would get the opportunity to hear some of the most memorable runner-up speeches.

After the 2009 French Open final, having lost to Federer in straight sets, Robin Soderling joked: "Nobody beats Robin Soderling 13 times in a row."

Not so jovially, a few weeks later, Andy Roddick called out "You've won five times!" in response to Federer's assertion that he knew how Andy was feeling after his excruciatingly close five-set loss in the Wimbledon final.

In 2010, perhaps the humblest of speeches was uttered by a man not known at the time for his humility, when Andy Murray proclaimed: "I can cry like Roger. It's just a shame I can't play like him."

It was a statement which helped win the Scot a raft of new fans.

Professional tennis is competing with a multitude of sports for television revenue, sponsorship and ticket sales, and these speeches - often revealing players' humanity when their defences are down – arguably helps fans connect to the game's stars and just as importantly they make headlines. The media can't get enough of them.

Unlike in team sports, where support for clubs is often passed down in the family and developed in communities, maintaining and growing a fan base in an individual sport such as tennis is dependent on establishing personal connections between the players and supporters.

Seeing these players shed a few tears or a little humility helps show that these guys are people - just like you and me.

So, as a tradition, it is bizarre and as a requisite, it's brutal, but for the growth of the game, it is crucial.

Roger Federer may have finished shy of adding to his record 17 grand slam titles, falling to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open semifinals in all too familiar fashion, but the 32-year-old tennis great did add to his ever-increasing list of achievements by making his record-breaking 57th consecutive appearance at a grand slam.

While this may not the most glamorous milestone in the history books, in many respects it is one of the most important. FULL POST

After nearly a decade without any real change at the top of men’s tennis, and not one player in the top 10 under the age of 25, could 2014 be the year the next generation of stars make their presence felt?

As the first grand slam of the season kicks off in Australia, here are five potential champions of the future to keep your eye on. FULL POST

If those entering The All England Club’s hallowed grounds should know one rule, it’s that. Even after the most epic of victories, a football-style pitch invasion on the pristinely groomed Wimbledon lawns would never, and could never happen, under any circumstances.

With one exception.

In July 2000, Ecuador's Davis Cup team pulled off an unlikely victory against a heavily favored British lineup on their home court. A decidedly partisan crowd was aghast as the South American players and their extensive entourage broke with tradition and stormed the court in pure jubilee. FULL POST

Roger Federer may have slipped to No. 6 in the world rankings but he still has a lot of life left in him.

The 17-time grand slam champion hasn't been as consistent as we have seen him in the past, while the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have caught up with the Swiss star and moved ahead.

But on his day, and if he has a bit of luck in the draw, the 32-year-old Federer has got a great chance of reaching another grand slam final. FULL POST

While the Australian Open embodies the spirit of a brand new season, Roland Garros has the charm of Paris in the springtime, Wimbledon has all the history and tradition, and the U.S. Open has the rowdy New York crowd ... for me, as a tennis fan, nothing compares to the ATP World Tour Finals.

Here are nine reasons why the season-ending showpiece at London's O2 Arena is unrivalled by any other event on the tennis calendar: FULL POST